U.S. Army veteran Alicia West returns to her hometown of New Orleans, joining the police department and is partnered with easygoing Kevin Jennings. Their beat includes the deprived neighborhood where West grew up, and during one patrol she meets an old friend, Milo “Mouse” Jackson, who now is a convenience store clerk.
Then inadvertently she captures the shooting death of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the only person from the community who’s willing to help her. Now, she finds herself on the run from both the vengeful criminals and the lawmen who desperately want to destroy the incriminating footage.
Black and Blue is a 1999 American made-for-TV movie. Based on the novel by Anna Quindlen directed by Paul Shapiro. After a woman’s husband beats and abuses her, she and her son join the witness protection program and move away secretly.
After a promising start, with a strong Naomie Harris in the lead, Black and Blue gives way to be too generic against thrillers of the time. There’s an effective, nuanced way to tell a story tackling this issue. Black and Blue has some good concepts and a story that could have been so much more.
The MPAA rating has been assigned for the “violence and language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a reference to a husband and his wife having a date night and an implication of sex; many bloody gunshot deaths, and many scenes of peril when a police officer is chased by gang members, as well as other police.
The poster played up the blue to pop the dramatic contrast between the natural black color of the main stars faces. This brings out the intense danger, and drama of the black gun. The bold black type with the blue blending up from the bottom of the title gives a stronger play on the Black and Blue bruised theme.
